Performance history 1868, Saint Petersburg – Private performance An early performance with Mussorgsky's participation took place in 1868 in the home of César Cui. Nadezhda Purgold accompanied on the piano. The cast included Modest Mussorgsky (Podkolyosin), Alexander Dargomyzhsky (Kochkaryov), Aleksandra Purgold (Fyokla Ivanovna), and Konstantin Velyaminov (Stepan). Aleksandra Purgold (later Molas) was the sister of Nadezhda Purgold (later Rimskaya-Korsakova). 1906, Saint Petersburg – Private performance A later private performance took place in the home of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Nadezhda Purgold was now Nadezhda Rimskaya-Korsakova, through marriage to the composer; she again accompanied on the piano. The cast included Sigizmund Blumenfeld (Podkolyosin), A. P. Sandulenko (Kochkaryov), Sonya Rimskaya-Korsakova (Fyokla Ivanovna), and Gury Stravinsky (Stepan). Sigizmund Blumenfeld was the brother of conductor Felix Blumenfeld, Sonya Rimskaya-Korsakova was the daughter of Nikolai and Nadezhda Rimsky-Korsakov, and Gury Stravinsky was the brother of composer Igor Stravinsky. 1908, Moscow – World premiere The first professional public performance took place on 12 December 1908 in the Great Hall of the Nobility in Moscow. The Rimsky-Korsakov edition (1908) was performed. Production personnel included Arkady Kerzin (producer). D. Veyss (Weiss) accompanied on the piano. The cast included Vladimir Lossky (Podkolyosin), Fyodor Ernst (Kochkaryov), Serafima Selyuk-Roznatovskaya (Fyokla Ivanovna), and Khristofor Tolkachev (Stepan). In April 1973, at Cornell University's Barnes Hall, a Readers' Theater performance in Leonard Lehrman's English translation was presented in class with George Gibian as Podkolyossin, William Austin as Kotchkaryov, Laurel Fay as Fyokla Ivanovna and Jerry Amaldev as Stepan, with Leonard Lehrman at the piano. Alexander Tcherepnine subsequently asked Lehrman to translate into his English his completion of the opera. The work is still in progress. Publication history 1908, vocal score edition by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, V. Bessel and Co., St. Petersburg 1933, vocal score, original composer's version in the second issue of Volume IV of the Complete Works by M. P. Mussorgsky, Muzgiz together with Universal Edition, Moscow Roles Synopsis Time: Place: Scene 1 The idle bachelor Podkolyosin attempts to find a wife: "Well, when one considers carefully, one sees that marriage can be very useful." He currently leads a chaotic life, with his poor servant, Stepan, constantly at his beck and call. Scene 2 A marriage broker, Fyokla Ivanovna, arrives to give Podkolyosin details of a girl she has chosen for him. However, he is more interested in her dowry: "And what kind of dowry will I receive? Let's start from the beginning and discuss the